


Under the Table

by WellDoneBeca



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Developing Relationship, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Fluff, bruce banner has a crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-01-24 04:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18563611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WellDoneBeca/pseuds/WellDoneBeca
Summary: 15 years ago, you and Bruce Banner were sort of friends in university while pursuing your second Master’s degree and one of his numerous PhDs. Now, you are jumping from small job to small job in order to make money and keep your son’s custody and when the Avenger Doctor shows up with an opportunity you hold onto it with everything you have. Falling in love with him was never on your plans, but when did your heart ever obey your head?





	1. Prologue

You put a loose strand of hair behind your ear for a moment, stopping the car. You were an Uber driver. No, correct that: You were anything that could pay you enough. Occasional babysitter? Check. Barista? Three times in between other jobs. Salesperson, barmaid, waitress… Whatever you could hold.

You had a master’s degree in both chemistry and biology and used to have a good stable job and a husband. With the economy and the discovery of what a cheater he’d been, you were now unemployed, and a single mother.

“Have a good afternoon,” you smiled at the girl as she left your car.

You checked your wristwatch. You had another hour before you had to pick Luke up from school, which gave you time to get in some quick rides before heading there.

“Y/N?” you heard, looking at your side to find a very familiar face. “Y/N Y/L/N?”

You smiled in surprise when you realised who the person outside was and quickly left the car to talk to them properly.

“Bruce Banner!” you exclaimed. “Hello.”

You knew Bruce from the time you were getting your master’s degree, while he was pursuing one of his many PhDs.

“Wow,” he smiled. “It’s been so long. I mean… More than a decade?”

“I think 15 years,” you smiled at him.

You and Bruce were sort of friends back then, or at least kind whenever you bumped into one another at the library or laboratory.

‘Wow,” he said again and scratched the back of his head for a moment. “Look, I’m really late for something but I want to catch up, so…” he pulled a card from his pocket. “Give me a call, we could get coffee.”

You were surprised but accepted it.

“Okay,” you smiled. “I… Uh… I’ll call. It is really good to see you,” you smiled.

Bruce smiled and stopped for a moment, reaching out and shaking your hand hesitantly.

“It’s great to see you too,” he nodded. “Bye.”

Before you could say anything else, he left in a rush and your eyes fell on the card.

Bruce Banner, PhD, Stark Ind.

“Bye.”


	2. One

“Come on, baby, it is not that hard,” you caressed Luke’s back as he scratched his head to his math work.

“You only say that because you’re smart.”

You chuckled.

“Less talk and more math, young boy padawan.”

When you got divorced, your son was only five. He was now 10 you still had his guard, but it wasn’t like his father had ever tried to change that. He was the biggest reason you worked so much in so many jobs: While you had managed to save money while working as a university professor and was using the money to help you with food and bills, now the money was coming to an end, and you were growing worried. Fortunately, Luke’s father paid for his education – which landed your son a spot in one of the best private schools in New York –, but you were reaching a point you were even considering doing something you’d swear to never in your life do: ask Don for child support.

“Is this right?” your boy pointed the paper and you leaned over his shoulder to give it a look.

“Hum… Maybe you should try again,” you say sweetly. “I’m not entirely sure that’s the answer.”

Luke sighed but pulled the eraser and moved his focus back to his homework as you sat in front of him with your old laptop, going back to translating a book in Spanish to English as you only had another day to deliver it.

The sound of the doorbell made you raise your head and your son to close his notebook.

“Okay, you finish that at your father’s house,” you stood up, kissing his forehead. “Don’t forget about it. Call me before you go to bed.”

He gave you a little smile, putting his backpack on his shoulder.

“I love you,” you kissed his forehead.

“I love you too,” he hugged you, and you walked away to open the door, finding Donovan standing before you.

“Good afternoon, Y/N,” he nodded. “Hello, Luke.”

“Don,” you nodded back.

Your son gave you a last hug before walking out to stand beside him.

“He needs to finish his homework,” you told your ex-husband. “Math.”

“Okay,” he touched his back. “Come on.”

You closed the door behind yourself as they left, sitting back to finish your work and checking your email once again. Maybe you had gotten anything back from the last university you’d tried to contact.

Nothing.

You finished the book one hour later, sending it and resting your back on the chair, pulling your phone from your jeans pants and frowning when the white card fell from it.

Bruce Banner, PhD, Stark Ind.

You picked it up and hesitated, taking a long breath and typing his number on your phone. It was Bruce after all.

It won’t hurt a try.

* * *

You met Bruce in a small café close to the Avengers tower, which was a place a bit far from where you usually frequented, but with delicious offers.

“But tell me,” he sipped on his decaf shyly. “How is your life? I was thinking about your research a couple of days ago and I was really curious about if you had continued it, it was really interesting.”

You were surprised. Back at university, you’ve started the mapping of an anonymous mutant – a descendant from the old X-Men – to find which part of their DNA was actually different from normal people’s DNA. You had planned on continuing it but because of your work as a professor in a university, your marriage, and – later – Luke’s birth, you’ve never done more than just reading it from time to time.

“Not really,” you gave him a sad smile. “I think they keep the archives somewhere but I never revisited it, I didn’t have time.”

Bruce seemed surprised, and you sighed.

“I’ve had some pretty bad times lately but I’m managing” you confessed. “What about you? How is your life?”

Looking at his face, you couldn’t help but see the differences between the man in front of you to the Bruce you’ve met long ago. Obviously, you’ve heard about the Hulk and his role as an Avenger but there was more to him than just that. Bruce had always been shy, but you shared a weird bond born to the fact you were similar back then, both silent people with a big future ahead of yourselves. Now, you were both extremely different, and you wondered if there was anything that was still the same after so long.

“I think you know I’m…” he cleared his throat.

“An Avenger,” you finished his sentence. “Yes, I’ve heard. I also heard that you keep studying human DNA.”

He gave you a smile, looking a bit surprised at how you changed the focus from the Avenger part back to the science part of the conversation. You were just like most people in New York about the group of superheroes, thankful for their work but not really interested in their lives. They were people after all, and you had a lot more to worry about than to be curious about who they were behind the suits and all.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

You gave him a soft smile, drinking from your cup, and he shifted in his seat.

“Uh… Y/N,” he took a long breath. “There is another reason I gave you my number and suggested coffee yesterday.”

You raised your eyebrows, curious, and Bruce leaned on his elbows.

“I was reading your research and talking to my colleagues,” he explained. “And your work is really interesting for us.”

You shifted in your place, unconsciously moving your whole body to his direction.

“And I was wondering if you would be interested in a job in the Stark Industries.”

Your jaw dropped for a split of a second and you froze on your spot, trying to find words to his offer. It was everything you’ve ever wanted in your life, especially now.

“I know we need to discuss your salary and hours and…”

“Yes,” you interrupted him.

Bruce stared at you in surprise.

“You don’t want to hear about the money or the lab or…”

“Bruce, you’re offering me my dream job,” you pointed at him. “I know everything about your lab; I know everything about the benefits of working with Stark. When do I start?”


	3. Two

“What do you think?” you stopped in front of your son, smoothing your black button down shirt in front of your body.

It was Monday and, after a weekend with his father, your son was back and ready for school, which started at the same time as your shift, meaning you would need to leave a bit earlier than normal.

“You look great,” he smiled.

“That’s how I used to dress for my last job,” you explained, turning to the mirror. “I need to make a good impression, it’s my first day.”

He smiled and picked up his backpack, putting it on his shoulder.

“Let’s go now?” he offered.

“Did you get the money for your lunch?” you questioned, grabbing your purse,

“Yes, mom,” he nodded.

“Jacket? Notebook?” you insisted.

In response, your son rolled his eyes.

“I did, mom. Come on, now. We need to go.”

You chuckled but got into your car, driving your boy to school while humming songs.

“Good luck with your first day,” he said after leaving your car.

“Good luck with school!”

You drove to the Avengers tower with your heart beating just as fast as a rocket and tried not to look too out of place when parking in an area with your name. A lady welcomed you and took you to your floor, and it was there that you met Bruce, who proceeded to give you a tour of the facilities.

“And last but not least, this is your lab,” he opened the door, and you felt your jaw dropping a bit in surprise.

It was a large room, with every single piece of equipment you needed, along with a brand new – and very expensive, as far as you could see – MacBook.

“Fuck me,” you said under your breath and turned to Bruce when you finally realised what he meant. “Did you just say your lab? Like in… This entire place is mine?”

“Yes.”

You walked to the first table and leaned closer to the microscope, still flabbergasted. You were in love.

“Bruce, that’s a lot,” you exclaimed. “Are you sure I don’t have to share with someone?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he smiled, surprised. “Y/N, you and your work have an incredible potential to change the lives of everyone in this place.”

You took a long breath, hesitantly touching the object in front of you. Damn. How long had it been since you’ve had the opportunity of doing so?

“You seem to trust me a lot,” you turned to him. “How do you know I won’t screw it up?”

“I wouldn’t have looked for you if I didn’t know you were the best,” he said like he was very sure of his choice.

You moved your eyes away and he cleared his throat, this time entering the lab and closing the door behind himself.

“So, there are some blood samples from some of our supers and a few other volunteers,” he explained. “You can ask Friday for anything you may need and my lab is the next door on the right. Got any questions?”

“Yes,” you turned to him. “Who is Friday?”

He looked up for a moment and a female Irish voice emerged from somewhere, making you jump in surprise.

“I’m FRIDAY, an artificial intelligence unit designed and created by Tony Stark,” the voice affirmed. “I am here to assist you.”

You moved your eyes all over the ceiling and then back to Bruce.

“What?”

“You’ll get used to it,” he affirmed. “So… Have a nice day.”

You gave him a nervous smile in response before answering.

“Have a nice day.”

* * *

Bruce tried not to watch you through FRIDAY while you fangirled over the new equipment and sources you were given, and how you were just organizing the place to make it look genuinely yours, but he was failing completely.

Back at the time you met you were sort of friends, he’d always felt some attraction towards you but never acted on it. You were married to Donovan – a drugstore owner – and seemed happy with your life.

When he bumped into you, you were different, still beautiful, but clearly tired. After checking your record he’d just learned you were divorced now and had lost your job, and were now working for too little in many small jobs to keep your house and pay the bills. Even before that he had been looking into your research and the idea of working with you was a golden ticket not just for him – who needed someone who could map and understand the genes of an enhanced person – but also for the Avengers and SHIELD as a whole.

“Hey,” he heard, turning to see Tony a few steps from him, “That’s our new girl? She’s pretty.”

He nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“How old is she? 30 something?”

“41,” Bruce corrected him. “She’s turning 42 in…” he interrupted himself. “Why do you want to know?”

Tony raised his eyebrows for a moment, making him frown and finally change his posture.

“Oh, no, Tony, Don’t start with that. Not now, she’s new, and she’s nice, and she doesn’t have to put up with…”

“With me trying to make you happy?” he talked over his friend. “Come on, Brucie. Don’t tell me she’s not your type. A beautiful face and a very intelligent mind.”

Bruce blushed and moved his eyes away, not responding to that and making Tony chuckle.

“Okay, I need to meet her,” he puts his hands on his waist. “Come on.”

The doctor hesitated but followed Tony outside when he noticed his friend wouldn’t wait, walking behind him to your lab and taking his glasses off when you opened your door.

“Hello?” you gave them a tight smile, completely stiff.

The boss.

“Y/N, this is Tony Stark,” Bruce introduced. “Tony, this is Y/N Y/L/N, your new employee.”

“Nice to meet you,” the playboy smiled. “Bruce talks an awful lot about you.”

You frowned in response, your neck and face slightly warm.

“He does?” you sounded surprised. “Should I be worried?”

“No,” Stark opened a smile. “I just wanted to meet you. Your studies are really interesting.”

You smiled, quickly feeling less nervous.

“Thank you.”

“So… Did Bruce tell you about everything? Do you know about FRIDAY? Do you need any new equipment or new DNA samples?”

You shook your head quickly.

“No, I’m just fine. I have everything I need here. Even more,” you said, still a bit overwhelmed. “Thanks.”

He nodded.

“So… Welcome. The workers’ lounge is just around the corner if you need a break or a snack. Don’t exhaust yourself.”

“Thank you,” you said again.

He gave Bruce a little tap on his back, walking away and leaving you with the other scientist.

“Hello again,” you smiled shyly.

“Hello.”

You stared at each other for a long moment until he cleared his throat.

“I’m going back to my lab now.”

“Okay,” you nodded. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

Bruce walked out and glanced behind his back to see you close your door before apprehending himself. This time he actually went back to work, and only left the lab when he noticed it was time to eat again, knocking on your door to make sure you’d take a lunch break but completely unsure of why he was doing that.

You were standing in front of a wall with notes and turned around with the sound of his voice.

“Y/N.”

“Hey,” you smiled, which made his heart just a bit warm. “Did you know the system doesn’t need you to write anything down and just recognize your voice so you won’t lose time while working?”

Bruce raised his eyebrows, surprised by how you hadn’t figured it out through FRIDAY but smiling when he noticed how excited you were.

“I did, actually.”

“This is amazing!” you affirmed with a childish smile. “Thank you so much for the opportunity, Bruce. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”

He gave you a shy look back.

“It’s no big deal,” he scratched the back of his head. “Are you going to having lunch?”

You seemed puzzled for a moment but looked at the watch on your wrist.

“Oh,” you muttered, noticing how many hours had passed. “I… I don’t wanna leave.”

He hesitated for a moment, walking inside.

“You can order food through FRIDAY,” he told you. “Or get down to the cafeteria, the catering service is great.”

“Oh no,” you shook your head. “There is no need. I brought my own lunch, I packed it with Luke’s last night.”

He tried not to look too surprised. He knew Luke was your son; before you called him, SHIELD had investigated you and your whole life – including close members of your family and some friends – and knew everything about you and your son. He was surprised, though, that you’ve chosen to cook your own lunch and bring it to work even though you could just go out and buy anything.

“Well, you can microwave it…” he stopped, thinking. “Uh… I’m not sure where you can microwave it. We don’t have a microwave.”

“Can I remind you that you own a microwave in your apartment upstairs, Mr Banner?” FRIDAY interrupted him, which made his eyes widen and you look away in embarrassment.

His phone rang in his pocket and he looked down, seeing the text from Tony and rolling his eyes.

‘You’re welcome.’

He sighed in annoyance and you bit your cheek, realising he had probably hated that idea.

“It’s okay,” you affirmed. “I can eat it cold. I’ll just make sure to pack cold stuff next.”

“I’m sorry,” he quickly apologised. “I’m just… Not used to people in my place. I’m sorry, really. We can go if you want to.”

“It’s okay, Bruce,” you smiled. “Really, it’s fine.”

He gave you an embarrassed look, and you just smiled back.

“I promise.”

He walked away, and you just sighed, walking to your bag and pulling the Tupperware with your food and a fork, walking to the lounge to eat alone.

Not even cold food could make your day bad.


	4. Three

“Now,” you walked to your computer. “You’re gonna love this.”

You’ve been working with SHIELD for about three months now and your research was going at a stellar pace, which was extremely exciting for you.

Bruce crossed his arms behind you.

“FRIDAY, can you please expand what’s on the screen somewhere Bruce can see?” you asked politely.

You turned in the right direction when the picture of the session of DNA expanded on the glass window which blocked the light in order for you to be able to see it.

“Look,” you pointed it with an index. “See this section.”

He walked closer, squeezing his eyes.

“Yeah?”

“This is where Wanda’s mutation is,” you pointed at the number at the corner of the screen which detailed where exactly it was. “FRIDAY, can you show us the… The girl with the… Blue thing going on?”

In response to your request, the image changed.

“This is an anonymous DNA, a totally different section..”

He nodded.

“Each mutation is located in a different part of the DNA strand,” you explained. “Typically, many scientists claim that this is the useless DNA, but it is not. If you flip it just right, each piece of it actually brings out a different power to someone.”

You sat on your computer and opened your own DNA sequence, showing him the same section.

“This is mine, and this is hers. I don’t know if you can actually see it but…”

“They are different, yes,” he muttered, walking closer. “She was born this way, you said?”

“Yes,” you walked to his side. “But she can flip it, like… Uh… Like you do with the other guy.”

He looked down. You’ve never even mentioned the Hulk around him, knowing it was an uncomfortable subject.

“What I also found out was,” you move back to your computer, opening a chemical formula. “This.”

Bruce waited in silence, turning to you.

“And that would be?”

“How she flips it.”

The man waited in silence and you sighed.

“I know your transformation is triggered by a combination of heart pace and a hormone,” you pointed. “But what if we can change it for a different kind of trigger?”

Bruce tilted his head to the side. He was first expecting you to look for a way to get rid of the Hulk but your mind was going in a totally different way.

“We can’t stop it from happening but we can change the way it happens,” you rephrased it. “We can try to condition your body to respond to the chemicals and not to the change of rate.”

He just stared at you for a long moment and then turned to the side.

“FRIDAY, get Tony here.”

You froze, not sure of what he meant. Shit, what if you’ve just screwed up? Maybe that wasn’t what he wanted and now you were going to be fired again or maybe he didn’t want you to touch the Hulk subject.

Shit.

You couldn’t help when your heart started racing in fear. You’d just gotten this job, you were saving money but couldn’t even think of going back to working with the bad jobs you were in. You had a child to feed and care for, for goodness' sake!

“Y/N!” Bruce exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

You couldn’t answer.

“Damn,” he muttered, walking to you. “Look, you did nothing wrong!”

You looked up at him silently.

“Please, don’t panic. I loved your idea. Really. Please, don’t panic.”

You nodded, taking a long breath, and he walked to the small freezer under your table, taking a bottle of water and offering it to you, watching you drink slowly and jump in surprise as Tony popped through the door.

“You called me?” he eyed the two of you

“Y/N just had the most wonderful idea.”

. . .

You were embarrassed, very embarrassed. You were a grown woman, for fucking sake. Panicking just because Bruce may have not liked your idea? That was overreacting, and a lot.

“Do you think he will like it?” you eyed Luke.

Yesterday you, Tony and Bruce had spent a whole lot of time discussing what your hypothesis could imply, but you still couldn’t shake away the fact you almost made a fool of yourself in front of Banner.

“It looks good,” your son shrugged. “Did you wake up earlier just to make it?”

You stopped on your spot for a moment and then shrugged.

“Maybe.”

You liked Bruce. To be honest, he was the only friend you currently had – and you weren’t even friends as in friends. You were just… Colleagues? You never left your lab anyway, and your life consisted of work and Luke. He was the closest thing you had away from it.

“Do you think he likes apple pie?” you turned to him. “What if he is a cherry kind of guy?”

Luke just stared at you in silence and you rolled your eyes.

“Okay, okay,” you sighed. “Help me put it inside the box.”

He nodded, holding the paper box you’d bought and put together the previous night to your side, and you put the pie in it, just hoping it would make things better.

After driving Luke to school, you made your way to work, parking in your personal spot – the one with your name followed by ‘M.S.’ to show your Master’s degree and its correlation to your job – and walking in, trying not to fall down when pressing your finger to the reader.

The whole way to your lab made you beyond nervous. Suddenly, the pie sounded like an awful idea. What if he thought it was childish to do so? Or was allergic to apples? Or maybe he just didn’t eat sugar and would throw it away.

“Y/N,” you heard before you could go through your department’s door. “Good morning.”

You were sure you could hear your heart racing inside your chest and against the thick paper box.

“Bruce,” you smiled, turning to him. “Good morning.”

“Is that a new machine? Do you need help to install it?”

You shook your head quickly.

“Actually, that’s for you,” you felt your cheeks hot. “I wanted to make up for yesterday. I acted like a kid, I thought… I thought you didn’t like my idea and was about to fire me, I’m so sorry.”

His eyes widened in response.

“Y/N…”

“I know,” you interrupted him. “I know. I just… Wanted to give you something to make up for it.”

He tried to protest, but you walked closer to him and gave him the box.

“It is still warm and fresh. It is an apple pie, I made it from scratch,” you explained. “I hope you like it.”

He looked at his own hands for a moment, surprised with the warmth of the box. It wasn’t a thing you’d baked at night and had taken to him in the morning; this was actually fresh from the oven. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had something like that.

“I love it,” he managed to say. “Thank you so much.”

You smiled in response, feeling much more relaxed.

“You’re welcome.”

He waited until you were inside your lab before turning around and getting into the elevator, asking Friday to get him up to the apartments’ area, meeting Tony already there.

“That’s a pie,” Tony pointed. “That’s… a pie.”

“Yeah, I know,” Bruce rolled his eyes. “I’m not blind Tony, I can see it is a pie.”

“Yeah, but can you see it is an apple pie?”

He just stared at his friend, waiting for anything else.

“Did you heat it? It looks warm.”

“No,” he shook his head. “She brought it with her and just… Handed to me, I think she woke up earlier and baked it?” he explained, almost sounding like he was asking a question.

Tony moved his finger over the crust, almost like testing it.

“Did she tell you why she did it? I mean… Brought you a pie.”

Bruce shifted on his feet.

“She said she thought she had upset me yesterday and almost panicked, I think,” he muttered. “I think she thought I thought she was being unreasonable over something but I don’t really remember. She really likes the job and needs it, I think she thought I was firing her when I called you to tell you the whole chemical idea.”

Tony looked surprised. Just minutes earlier, Bruce had FRIDAY calling him to his apartment and was having a bit more fun than the appropriate with his friend feeling so confused over you. Tony knew enough about your relationship to know Bruce felt a bit more than just friendship or admiration for you but would never act it out on his own.

“She likes you,” he decided, pointing at his face and making his eyes go wide.

“That’s stupid. She doesn’t like me.”

Tony rolled his eyes.

“She brought you a pie because she thought you were upset with her. She wanted to impress you!” he pointed.

“Who wants to impress who?” Steve entered the room with Bucky on his heels.

“No one,” Bruce said before Stark could open his mouth. “What are you doing here?’

“We smelled pie,” he put his hands in his pockets. “Can we get a piece of it?”

“Yeah,” Tony turned to him. “We’ve been staring at it for ten minutes already, I want some before it gets cold.”

Bruce hesitated but picked a knife from the kitchen and then moved the pie in the living room, surprised to see Sam walking in.

“Is that an apple pie?” the black man walked to his side as he cut himself a piece, leaving the side of the table.

“Serve yourselves,” he muttered before taking a bite.

Bruce stopped still when the taste filled his mouth. It tasted amazing, melting on his tongue and just filling his senses completely. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten something that good.

“That’s amazing,” Sam exclaimed. “Where did you buy it?”

“We didn’t,” Tony said with his mouth full. “Bruce’s girl baked it.”

The room fell in silence and even Wanda and Pietro stopped in their tracks while entering the room.

“Wait, you have a girl?” Sam looked at him. “Who is she? And why don’t we know her yet?”

Bruce could feel himself blush in embarrassment. The team was a family, a whole weird family, and they knew little about boundaries, which apparently include inviting everyone into his apartment to discuss something like that.

“She’s not my girl,” he corrected him. “She is a friend, and she baked me a pie because she thought I was upset with her. No big deal.”

The whole room fell into silence again.

“She likes you,” Tony repeated. “She definitely likes you.“


	5. Four

“Thanks,” you whispered, pulling the syringe from Bruce’s arm and tagging the blood sample with his name.

“You’re welcome,” he put a band-aid on where the needle had been. “So, did you find the chemical she uses to go back to normal?”

“Not just yet,” you muttered. “But I’m working on it. It seems like a combination, and I need to know how she does that. It is probably gonna take a long time. Maybe even years, I mean, it took months to figure out the specific place.”

You’ve been working for SHIELD for about five months now and knew your fair share of people, although you hadn’t made any close friends and spent most of your time alone or with Bruce, and your research had slowed down a bit, now fully focused on his particular case. With the occasional help of Tony Stark, and with your own assistant, you were trying to find a way to change Bruce’s trigger, and it itself was very complicated.

“Did you bring your lunch today?” he questioned shyly.

After the cold food incident, some microwaves were finally installed in the workers’ lounge, and even though a big part of your colleagues still ate downstairs in the cafeteria, the number of people bringing their own food was going up.

“Yes,” you turned to him with a frown. “Uh… Why?”

Bruce shrugged.

“Just asking.”

You chuckled.

“Okay then.”

He stood in silence for a long moment and you could see how he was shifting in his place.

“Do you want to have lunch with me and Tony today?” he asked, making your eyes widen. “If it’s not a problem, of course. You can take your food up there.”

You hesitated, standing straight.

“Won’t that be a problem?”

“No,” he blurted. “Absolutely not. He won’t stop asking me about you after I told him you were the one who baked that pie.”

You smiled unconsciously in surprise. He still remembered your pie?

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he blushed slightly. “It was amazing. The best pie I’ve ever had in my life.”

You felt your cheeks warm in response and he looked down at his own feet.

“I’ll… I’ll go back to my lab. So, I’ll let you know when we’re going…?”

“Sure,” you nodded. “Thanks.”

He left quickly, closing the door behind himself. That was for sure unexpected.

Bruce showed up hours later, right on time for lunch, and waited for you to pick up your packed food before walking by your side to the elevator. You just stood in silence, not sure of what to say or do, and when you got to the area where the apartments were, you just tried not to behave like you were intimidated.

“Y/N!” Tony exclaimed when he saw you. “Look at you, bright as always. What brings you here?”

“Bruce invited me to have lunch with you two if that’s not a problem,” you tried to sound firm.

The two men by your side shared a look for a split of a second and you couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever talked about the situation in private. They seemed to be good friends – judging by how much time Tony spent in Bruce’s lab – and they had, apparently, talked about you at least once, even though it was about your pie.

“Not ever,” he decided, smiling and pointing at the buffet at the table by the end of the room. “Be my guest.”

“Oh,” you looked from it to him and raised your hands with your lunch. “There is no need, I brought my own food.”

He frowned and walked to you, reaching out for your container and taking it from you.

“It’s cold,” he pointed, and just threw it behind himself. “And now it is gone.”

“Tony!” Bruce exclaimed and turned to you. “I’m sorry, he’s a bit… Too much.”

“I’ll buy you a new container,” he said before you complained. “A whole set of them if you need it, but there is no way I’m letting you eat a cold lunch when there is perfectly fresh food right behind us.”

You scratched the back of your neck for a moment but chuckled.

“You’re gonna get used to him,” Bruce promised. “I hope.”

When you filled your plate and sat down by the table – besides Bruce and across from Tony – they were already engaged in a conversation, including you as soon as you were close enough to talk to them. You missed this: people with whom you were comfortable to talk about life and work and sometimes even your family. Bruce even knew one of two stories about Luke that you’ve told him during longer conversations at the end of the day and always asked about your son when you saw each other in the morning, even manifesting curiosity when you mentioned he was excited about a science fair he’d have this year. Your boy had even asked you if the famous Doctor Banner would be able to go and see what he was doing but you didn’t have the courage to ask your boss to go to the event.

“So, Y/N,” Tony cleaned his lips with a napkin, turning fully to look at you. “Do you have anything to do this Friday night?”

You couldn’t see but Bruce had frozen by your side, staring at his friend and shooting daggers with his glance.

“I don’t think so,” you said before thinking a bit. It was Donovan’s weekend – something that happened every 15 days. “Why do you ask?”

“We’re hosting a party,” he affirmed but quickly corrected himself. “Well, I am hosting a party. Just a small thing between friends, of course, but it would be great if you could show up.”

You hesitated, feeling yourself deflate.

“I would love to go, Tony, really,” you affirmed. “But I don’t have any appropriate clothes.”

He rolled his eyes.

“That’s no reason not to go, sweetheart,” he said to you before turning to his side. “FRIDAY, do you have Ms. Y/L/N’s measures?”

“Yes, sir,” the system replied.

“Great. Send them to Pepper along with a face picture. Tell her she needs a dress.”

You stopped, surprised.

“Tony, I can’t take that,” you affirmed.

“Of course you can,” he corrected you. “Take it as an early birthday gift, your birthday is in a week or so, anyway.”

You just looked a Bruce, not sure of how to answer, and your old friend just shook his head.

“Just take it, he won’t accept no for an answer or the gift back.”

You fell back to your chair, defeated. You didn’t own any good dresses, having sold them as soon as you needed money to important stuff after losing your job, and hadn’t yet found a time or opportunity to get any new one.

“Fine, then, I think,” you muttered. “Uh… Who is Pepper?”

 


	6. Five

“And do you wish you could spend more time with him?” Luke questioned, eyes glued to the screen of his phone.

“Yeah, he is a great guy,” you looked at yourself in the mirror. “Do you think red lipstick is too much?”

Your son tilted his head to the side for a moment, analyzing your look.

“No, it will look great.”

The dress Pepper had sent you, laid on the bed along with a small purse and matching shoes. It had arrived this morning with a little ‘Bruce’s pick’ note from Tony and the time you should arrive.

“Where’s your father?” you checked the clock beside your bed. “He was supposed to be here already.”

You put on your dress in a rush after finishing with your makeup, hoping you didn’t look like a clown and letting your hair fall naturally over your shoulder.

“The last question,” he raised his eyes from his phone. “Why haven’t you asked him out already?”

You arched your eyebrows to your son, ready to give him a comeback when the doorbell sound made you sigh in relief.

“Finally.”

Your heels made a soft sound hitting the ground, but you couldn’t care less. You rushed to your house’s entrance to find Donovan, already hearing his voice on the other side.

“I had an emergency at work,” he affirmed. “I’m really… Wow.”

The moment you opened the door, your ex-husband’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“That’s a… beautiful dress,” he smiled lopsidedly.

“Bruce picked it,” Luke affirmed proudly behind you. “I think he likes her.”

The man moved his eyes between the two of you, apparently not sure of what to say. Ever since your divorce, he’d gotten married and divorced twice but you’ve never even mentioned a man to him.

“Bruce?” he questioned. “Who is Bruce?”

“Her boss,” he continued. “He is a doctor seven times.”

You felt your face warming in embarrassment.

“Luke, stop,” you finally said. “Your dad is gonna get it wrong. He is just my boss. Can you just go? I need to go.”

His eyes lingered on you a bit but ended up walking to his car with your son by his side, staring at you when the black fancy car stopped for you.

“Hey,” he shouted. “Why is your boss buying you dresses?”

You chuckled.

“I’m not your wife anymore, Donny,” you reminded him. “I don’t need to report anything to you; it’s been years since we split up.”

Donovan was ready to answer, but your car left while you couldn’t help but smile. 

. . .

 

“You shouldn’t have sent that to her, Tony,” Bruce protested. “What will Y/N think?”

“The truth,” Stark rolled his eyes. “You chose the dress, you deserve the credit.”

The party was going on around them for some time now, but Bruce couldn’t give it any attention. He knew your car should be arriving in any minute, and even though he was embarrassed by Tony’s insistence on telling you he had picked it, he was also looking forward to seeing you. Looking in the door’s direction to see if you were there, Bruce froze in his spot when his eyes fell on your figure. You were gorgeous in the dress, looking a bit embarrassed out of your lab coat and under the light makeup and…

“Oh, red lipstick,” Tony exclaimed. “She is dressed to impress. Go talk to her.”

The doctor was like a deer in the headlights the moment your eyes fell on him and you started walking right in his direction, and his friend was watching completely amused.

“Hey,” he finally managed to let out. “Hi.”

“Hello,” you bit your lip. “Please tell me I don’t look like a clown, the last time I wore makeup was years ago.”

“You’re beautiful,” he said too quickly and fixed his posture when he realised he probably looked very stupid now. “I mean… You’re always beautiful but you are… More beautiful now? I think I’ll just stop talking before I make this more awkward.”

You finally smiled, letting out a breath.

“Okay, good,” you muttered. “I… I loved the dress. Thank you.”

He rubbed his hands on his sides for a moment, feeling nervous and trying hard not to show it – even though he was 100% blushing.

It wasn’t a good idea to Hulk out, especially now – in the middle of a crowded party and right in front of you.

“Luke loved it too,” you added, giggling. “He couldn’t stop looking, bragged about how his favourite Avenger wasn’t just a genius but also had the best taste in clothing… I think everyone in my street knows Doctor Bruce picked my dress for the night.”

“He… He did?” he looked at you in surprise, clearing his throat. “Wait, you said I’m his favourite Avenger?”

“Yes,” you smiled. “I don’t know if it is just because he has me and Donovan working with science and all but he loves the area.”

He felt himself shrink for a moment. It wasn’t common for you to mention Donovan but he couldn’t help but wonder how you actually felt for your ex-husband.

“So, you two,” he started walking with you by his side before noticing. “I mean… You and Donovan… Are you friends?”

You thought for a moment, looking for an answer to the question.

“Not friends,” you pointed, slowly. “We just… Co-parent. I know little about his life, he knows little about mine… He pays for school and toys and expects me to provide Luke’s food and half of his clothing and morals.”

“Really?” he looked at you in surprise. “He didn’t help when you were unemployed?”

You let out a chuckle, actually wanting to express a good long laugh.

“Never,” you shook your head. “I don’t let him intrude my personal life and that includes the money I made or make. As long as I can care for my son, I won’t go after his help.”

You two were silent for a moment and you turned to him, touching his arm and making him look at you.

“Thank you a lot, Bruce,” you muttered. “The job, your friendship… You wouldn’t believe what a blessing it was meeting you again and getting the job and… You.”

Bruce gave you small smile when he noticed how you were blushing just the slightest.

“Me?” he frowned.

“You,” you nodded. “You’re amazing, Bruce. Probably the best person I’ve ever met.”

He smiled largely and you could feel your heart literally jumping inside your chest. Should you kiss him? He looked like he wanted to be kissed but if he did why wasn’t he kissing you right now?

“Excuse me,” you heard and looked back in a quick motion to find a waiter. “Drinks?”

You thanked him in a whisper and picked up a glass of champagne, quickly changing the subject.

You never left Bruce’s side while the party progressed, and while some people approached you two for politeness, no one ever interrupted your conversation.

It was probably past midnight, and you were on the balcony, talking and laughing about experiments that went right or wrong with him. This time, he was mentioning a time he’d managed to explode an experiment and destroy the power source of a whole level of the tower, and it was caught on tape.

“You’re kidding me, right?” you looked at him. “That’s genius! You need to show me that!”

“I lost my eyebrows,” he exclaimed. “I had to fill them in for… What? A month? And I never took off my glasses, I looked ridiculous.”

You shook your head.

“Next time, use the protective glasses, that’s why they are there for,” you reminded him. “That and protect your eyes.”

Bruce laughed again. It was good to be with you; he could have long conversations about science and never feel like he needed to explain what he was talking about – or at least not constantly – and every single trace of the friendship you held so many years ago was still there. Aside from a few moments where he questioned himself how far did your feelings for him go, everything was fluid and comfortable.

“I missed working,” you confessed. “The experiments, the lab…”

“The whole danger,” he added. “Haven’t you put out a fire on the university’s lab more than once?”

“Three times,” you looked at your feet. “But the last time wasn’t my fault.”

He shook his head.

“Okay, okay then. So… Twice your fault but three times officially.”

You nodded.

“And I only wasn’t expelled because of you,” you reminded him. “Which is another thing I need to thank you for.”

“It’s nothing,” Bruce shook his head. “You had great potential. You have great potential.”

You moved your eyes away. He was probably one of the few people who never underestimated you and your plans and dreams. Even Donovan – from time to time when you were still married – doubted the ideas you had or the things you needed to make them true but not Bruce, never Bruce.

“You really do believe in me,” you muttered. “I don’t think anyone has ever had so much faith in my work the way you do.”

When you looked at his direction, Bruce was staring at you.

“I don’t think I could ever doubt you,” he affirmed with honesty in his voice. “In just five months you managed to find the most genius solution to my… Well, my other guy problem. You didn’t think of a way of getting rid of it but to control it better and no one has even suggested it before. Not even myself…” he whispered the last part. “You’re one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.”

You bit your lip slowly, and the turned to take a deep breath, reaching out to cup his face and laying a soft and shy kiss on his lips before pulling back.

“Oh shit,” you exclaimed, stepping back and looking at his face.

Bruce’s eyebrows raised high and his jaw dropped in surprise but before you could move too far away, he pulled you back and kissed your lips once again, this time for real and for a longer time, gentle and careful but with the slightest touch of passion.

Oh shit, indeed.

. . .

You tried to keep your eyes down while walking outside with Bruce by your side, feeling your face hot.

You had kissed and more than once and you just couldn’t help yourself but want more of that though nervousness was filling you up this time. Donovan was your college boyfriend and although you didn’t get married until you had your heads in place, he was your second official boyfriend and the first and only person you’d had sex with, which was a big deal. Nonetheless, Bruce was your boss and sort of your patient/test subject. If it didn’t work between the two of you, would you be able to continue with your work or would everything turn into an awkward mess?

And then there was Luke. He absolutely admired Bruce as a scientist and hero but the thought of bringing another man to his life was a bit terrifying. And there was the Hulk, which didn’t frighten you and you knew Bruce would never hurt you and his green version was an active part of him – but could scare Luke or Donovan.

It was just a lot.

“You should stay,” he suggested as you rubbed your own arms to try to warm yourself. “It is cold and late.”

You gave him a tight smile.

“It’s okay,” you muttered. “You don’t need to do that, I got things to do at home.”

He looked away in embarrassment.

“Yes, of course. Luke and… Home.”

You nodded, biting your lip.

“So… Is the lab open tomorrow?” you asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing until the car Tony had sent you arrived.

You didn’t work at weekends; it was a rule in the lab. Everyone had Saturdays and Sundays free to do whatever they wanted.

“No,” he put his hands in his pockets, drying it in his hands. “No.”

You nodded silently and the same car that had picked you up hours earlier stopped for you, and Bruce cleared his throat.

“So…” you swallowed. “Goodbye?”

He hesitated but hugged you in a soft and not sure hold before opening the door for you.

“Goodbye.”

You entered the car with a tight smile and, as it left, Bruce couldn’t help but want to punch himself.

“A hug?” he exclaimed to himself. “Really, Banner? She kisses you and you hug her goodbye?!”

“You didn’t kiss her!” Tony ran to his side as soon as you were out of their field of vision. “Why didn’t you kiss her?”

“’Cause I didn’t,” he decided in a short shout. “I…didn’t know if she wanted to be kissed.”

Tony’s eyes could have made a hole in his friend’s forehead with the look he gave him.

“A girl doesn’t look at you like that without wanting to be kissed!” he pointed as if it was obvious.

“Whatever,” Bruce rolled his eyes. “She’s gone.”

“Until Monday.”

Oh, yes.

Until Monday.


	7. Six

You coughed loudly into your hand, feeling your whole body shaking in response and wrapping yourself tighter in your blankets. You were late already. Luke was supposed to be up and eating his breakfast, but you weren’t even able to leave your bed so far. Everything hurt, and your head was spinning and throbbing as you tried to put yourself on your feet.

“Go back to bed, mom,” your son said as soon as you stepped into the kitchen, eating from his bowl of cereal and with a glass of juice in front of him. “Dad is picking me up.”

You didn’t listen to him, pulling your phone and checking the clock. You could still be able to take him to school and then go work if you didn’t stop to eat or brush your hair.

“I’m okay,” you lied, being interrupted by a strong urge to cough and giving in to it. “I’m perfectly fine to go take you to school and go to work.”

Before he could say anything else, the sound of the doorbell filled the room, making you walk there and open it just to find Donovan. Your ex-husband looked at you from head to toe and shook his head.

“Luke was right,” he pointed. “You do look like shit.”

You snapped your eyes to your son, frowning.

“Luke!” you snapped.

“What?” he looked up from his food. “I said you looked sick.”

You rolled your eyes at him and Donovan, giving him space.

“I’ll be fine, I just need a shower,” you muttered. “Take him to school, I’ll pick him up.”

Your ex-husband shook his head.

“You can’t possibly be thinking of going to work,” he arched his eyebrows at you. “You gotta be fucking kidding me, where is your phone?”

You pulled your phone out of his sight, walking to your bathroom with a pair of pants in hands but Donovan was quicker, pulling the gadget from your hands and – as it wasn’t locked – searching through your contacts.

“Luke, who do I call?” he looked at your son.

“Bruce or T. Stark,” he sipped on his juice. “Be polite, they are her bosses.”

Your eyes widened in response and you tried – with your very slow and affected reflexes – to pull it from his hands but whoever was on the other side of the line picked up the phone faster and Donovan, much taller than you, managed to hold you out of range.

“Hello, am I speaking to T. Stark?” he questioned, listening for a moment. “I’m calling about Y/N Y/L/N, I’m her ex-husband. She woke up very sick this morning, so she may not be able to show up to work today, is that a problem?”

Your whole body was cold, but your face was for sure hot in embarrassment as he continuously talked on your phone. It looked like you weren’t even trying to get your phone back.

“Okay, thank you,” he nodded. “Donovan, Donovan Bell. Good morning to you too.”

You were mortified when he gave your phone back, sitting on the couch.

“Go to bed, Y/N,” he rolled his eyes. “Your eyes are red, you’re running a fever. I’m gonna get some medicine delivered here later.”

You squeezed the blanket you had around you tighter. You were feeling colder, for sure.

“Just work on getting better,” he dismissed you with a roll of his eyes. “Really, I can take care of Luke just fine. I’ll take him to school, we can have lunch together, I’ll be here at the right time… You look like shit, go rest.”

You rolled your eyes but as soon as they were out of the house, minutes later, you were laying on the couch, quivering in cold and coughing like a woman on her deathbed. Tired and groggy, you were about to fall asleep when you heard a shy knock on your door and supposed it was the medicine Donovan said he would get to you.

“I’m on my way,” you said loudly, trying not to choke on your own words and stopped frozen when you opened the door and found someone completely different. “Bruce? What are you doing here?”

Bruce scratched the back of his head shyly as if he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be there.

“I…” he cleared his throat. “I heard you were sick.”

It took you a couple of seconds, but you finally came to your senses and let him in, walking into the room and trying to cover up your mess.

“The house looks like hell,” you muttered. “I wasn’t expecting visitors, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he put the paperback he was holding on the counter. “I just wanted to make sure you were fine.”

You smiled in response to his care, covering your mouth with your blanket.

“I brought you tea,” he showed it to you. “And a two-day pass to rest.”

You shook your head, shivering for a moment.

“Are you okay?” he questioned quickly.

“Got a fever,” you muttered. “I look like shit, you probably shouldn’t be here. You’re gonna get sick.”

Bruce looked down, taking the rest of the things from the paper bag.

“I don’t get sick,” he affirmed. “I also brought you some soup, I know you probably can’t keep anything down for too long now. Have you eaten yet?”

You denied with a shake of your head and he shifted on his feet.

“Go sit down,” he pointed at the couch. “I’ll make you something.”

You gave him a small smile and sat down on the couch, watching from there as he walked around your small kitchen visible through the sort of window you had there.

“You don’t need to do that,” you affirmed.

“I know,” he looked back at you. “But I still want to help. You’re my friend, right? That’s what friends do.”

You smiled in response and coughed loudly, interrupting your any thought of any word you could think of saying.

Five minutes later, Bruce walked back to you with hot soup and a spoon and sat by your side.

“Are you staying?” you asked in a whisper, hesitant, and he turned his face to you.

“Do you want me to stay?” he questioned. “I mean… I can take the day off, I have some space this week as you’re not there. I’m pretty much helping you with your study around these months.”

You shrugged, not trusting your own voice. Truth is, you couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss you shared just a couple of days earlier and that was driving you insane. Did that mean anything to him?

“You can stay,” you said, trying to sound playful. “But are you sure you want to risk getting sick by spending time with a sick old woman? I only have Netflix here, won’t you be bored?”

He giggled in response.

“I told you, I don’t get sick, and you’re not old,” he corrected you. “I mean… You’re 41?”

“42, practically,” you corrected him.

“Pretty young,” he decided as you had a bit more of your soup. “You look good for 42.”

You glanced at him with the corner of your eyes.

“Should I take that as a compliment?” you questioned playfully just to be interrupted with a series of sneezes, prompting him to give you a box of paper tissues and stand up, coming back with a trash can. “Thanks.”

He nodded in response, still on his feet and you looked up after cleaning – or attempting to clean – your face.

“So… Netflix?”


	8. Seven

You only looked half decent when you left the bathroom and went back to your living room, where Bruce had already set the couch and some pillows – along with a blanket – in front of the TV, holding a glass of water and two pills in his hands.

“They’re supposed to help,” he explained as you took them, not even thinking twice about it or even asking. “I got everything set, I can sit over there and…”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” you rolled your eyes. “You’re on the couch with me, no questions and no buts.”

That’s how, half an hour later, you were curled into a ball in the couch with your eyes glued to the TV as a documentary about exploring the deep ends of the ocean played in front of you, listening carefully at Bruce’s occasional comments about special animals or things that came out after the film was finished.

You barely realised how close you were until you felt him froze in his spot as you rested your head on his shoulder, relaxing slowly and then ensuring silently it was okay for you to do so. You honestly felt like a teenager all over again, wondering if the guy by your side did like you or not and if he wanted you physically close or not. It was an, indeed, very uncomfortable nervous feeling.

“Are you sure you don’t have anything else to go to?” you questioned in a hesitant whisper, glancing at him but not moving a single muscle to distance your body from his.

“Absolutely,” he said in the same low and soft tone. “I can stay for as long as you need me.”

You bit your lip in response, suddenly feeling bold.

“I may need you for the whole day,” you affirmed nonchalantly. “And maybe tomorrow.”

Bruce stopped, apparently to think, and you wondered if you’d pushed his sweet willingness too far.

“I think I can find a place in my agenda,” he finally said, almost timidly. “If you need me.”

You smiled in response, both excited and a bit shaky.  

“Okay.”  


* * *

 

Luke entered the house silently, noticing how the place was in complete silence and having Donovan waiting outside. You couldn’t possibly have gone to work, could you?

His silent question was answered just a second later when his eyes fell on the couch where you and Bruce have almost lain. The man, now behind you, had an arm around your shoulders and your face almost hidden in the crook of his neck. The show on TV had stopped – displaying the ‘are you still watching?’ question – and the two of you were fast asleep.

With ten years of experience with you, Luke just knew you would spend the following day complaining about the pain on your back after drifting to sleep on the couch, but he couldn’t bring himself into waking you up, even though part of him just wanted to run and talk to Bruce and tell him how he was his biggest fan. Instead, he just traced his steps back to the front door, meeting Donovan – who had a confused expression.

“She’s sleeping,” he explained. “I think we should come back at night.”

“Sleeping?” his father frowned.

“On the couch,” your son closed the door. “Come on, dad. We can have ice cream.”

His father ended up following him anyway, not before stopping and glancing at your door for a moment while the boy crossed his fingers.

Please, forces of the universe – he whispered in his head. – Let mom be happy with Doctor Bruce. Please.

* * *

 

Bruce shifted nervously on his feet when he noticed the eyes following him from the house across the street. For a moment, he wished you could live in an apartment. It would probably make it less obvious to him that the neighbours were watching.

Today was your birthday, your 42nd birthday, and he’d decided he wanted to give you something. After hours of consideration, he’d decided on what and it was now in his hand as you waited for you to open the door.

“Bruce,” you smiled when you saw him. “Come on in.”

You looked a lot better now. Your hair was brushed in a ponytail, and you no longer looked sick.

“Hello,” he smiled shyly. “Happy birthday. How are you feeling?”

“Thank you,” you chuckled. “Much better, thanks to whatever you gave me yesterday. It worked very well.”

He nodded in confirmation and finally raised his hands to show you the plain box.

“I brought you this. A gift.”

Bruce could see how your face changed to surprise, then to happiness and then some sort disapproval.

“Bruce, you shouldn’t have bought anything. A birthday only means I’m older. You already have so much to do and think about, shopping for something shouldn’t…”

“I didn’t,” he interrupted you. “It was mine. It’s the full collection of the documentary we were watching yesterday with the director’s commentary.”

You opened the box quickly pulling one of the blue-rays. It looked surprisingly new.

“This is amazing,” you exclaimed, not even thinking before hugging him tightly. “Thank you, Bruce.”

He felt his cheeks reddening but hugged you back, smiling nervously when you pulled away.

“So… Food?” you rubbed your hands on your jeans, apparently just as nervous as him.

“Oh, yes,” he looked around. “I’ll order it now.”

You chuckled, having your own face warm. Honestly, Bruce made you feel like you were a teenager again, giggling, blushing, and just wanting to damn kiss him but being too afraid of pushing his boundaries too much.

Every time he seemed to give you a little, tiny space to act on it, you were afraid you were misinterpreting it.

When the food arrived and after lots of tension, you sat at the table and ate in silence, exchanging glances at one another. You couldn’t really understand why that was happening. The previous day, you had had a great time and you’ve even kissed in the party days ago and now it seemed like nothing had even happened.

“Let me do this,” he said when you were done, taking your plates to the dishwasher and loading it as you waited for him standing close enough.

“So,” you fidgeted with your fingers on your shirt. “You wanna watch the second season or… A different thing or something?”

He shrugged.

“The second season is good enough,” he nodded. “I’ll just…” he pointed at the box.

“Okay,” you stepped back.

You sat on the couch as he turned everything on, looking around for the remote, and Bruce sat by your side visually tense, surprised when you reached for the object by his side, and freezing when he turned his face to you and the two of you ended up staring at each other very closely.

Bruce opened and closed his mouth several times for a long, not even blinking with his eyes glued to yours, and you didn’t think twice before moving and finally kissing his lips at once.

Almost automatically, Bruce’s hand moved to your arms, and yours to his face, cupping his cheek and tangling your fingers between his. His kiss was hesitant at first but after some time and reassuring touch from you, he became more adventurous and moved the hand in your arm to your waist, pulling you closer.

You closed your eyes, running your thumb along his cheek and feeling him caressing the space where he was touching you, careful in the motion as you lost yourself in his lips.

The kiss kept going and, before you could even notice, he’d sat you on his knees and had his hands hold you tightly around your waist, keeping a respectful distance. Well, at least as respectful as it could be with you in such a position. When you finally pulled away, he moved his lips to kiss your jaw and neck, careful and sweet, moving to look you in the eyes.

You stared at him silently, still having your hand on his face.

“You were…” he cleared his throat. “You were talking about the show?”

You nodded and pressed the buttons of the remote.

You tried to watch the show. You tried hard to watch the show. However, the temptation of spending the whole time kissing Bruce was enough to distract you. Not even five minutes in, you were making out like two kids who’d just found out what being attracted to someone meant.

You didn’t even feel the time passing. Before you realised, you heard the knock on your door and pulled away hesitantly.

“Bruce,” you muttered when he pulled you again, attacking your neck. “Bruce, I gotta get the door.”

He looked at you in embarrassment when he realised he hadn’t heard the sound, letting you go and straightening his clothes when he was alone, walking out to the bathroom when he realised he needed a moment.

You, on the other side, used the reflection of the microwave’s door to fix your hair and look presentable before opening the door to find your ex-husband and your son.

“Hello again,” Donovan smiled. “You look… Flushed?”

You rolled your eyes, trying to look as cool as possible before moving your eyes to Luke.

“Hello, you,” you ruffed your son’s hair. “How was school today?”

“Hard,” he sighed. “We’re working on our science fair projects.”

“So,” you looked down at him. “What are you doing?”

“Salt Bridge Over Electrified Waters: How Electricity Changes pH,” he affirmed firmly.

“We’re planning to do it together if it is okay for you,” Don shifted his weight from one leg to the other.  

You looked between the two of them. Honestly, you were expecting to be the one helping Luke with his project, but you could see Don’s side. You lived with Luke and helped him through every single thing from school. His father should have the opportunity to do something with him.

“It’s okay,” you decided. “I hope you have fun.”

He grinned at you as Luke busted in, kissing you on the cheek and going to his room quickly to shower.

“So,” your ex-husband put his hands in his pockets. “I’m sure you’ll want to cover that hickey before you go to work tomorrow.”

Your eyes widened, and your hand flew to your neck, running to the closest mirror surface to see how it looked.

Shit.

“I’m not judging,” he announced from his place outside. “But… You know… You’re being careful right?”

You turned to him, confused, and your husband put his hands in his pocket, clearing his throat.

“You know I really want you to be happy, we are friends even after everything and you deserve to find someone else,” he affirmed. “But… What about Luke?”

“I know,” you muttered. “Look… I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry.”

As much as you wanted things to work, you needed to think about your son’s well-being. You didn’t want to introduce him to Bruce before knowing it was set in stone and knowing both of them were ready for it.

“I gotta go,” you ex stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“Happy birthday,” he smiled.

“Thank you.”

The moment he left, Bruce walked to your living room, looking both happy and embarrassed while looking at you, and you smiled at him when you noticed how he looked just as flushed as you did minutes earlier.

“So,” he took a long breath. “I think that’s my cue to leave, right?”

You nodded shyly.

“I don’t want Luke to start thinking stuff before the right time,” you reminded him. “You know, he’s just a kid.”

Bruce nodded quickly.

“I know,” he walked to you. “I’m going now.”

You nodded and before he could walk past you or be hesitant, you kissed his lips gently.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

Bruce walked away, but stopped by your door and turned back to you.

“Y/N,” he cleared his throat. “What do you think about going on a date?”

  
  



	9. Eight

Bruce looked around his balcony nervously.

He shouldn’t be nervous, should he?  This was just a date, he already knew something was going on between you two, he’d spent two whole days in your house, with you two making out like you were two teenagers who’d never seen any other human beings in their lives.

So why did he feel like everything was going to go wrong?

He’d set up this date with more carefulness than anything in his life outside of his lab. Every single thing and detail had been planned to make it look perfect: the placement of the table on the perfect spot where you could see the stars, but still close enough to his door to get inside if it started raining.

Bruce had spent the afternoon cooking and preparing your food, organizing his place – let’s be honest, his apartment was very different from his lab when it came to neat organisation – and making sure it would all be ready for when you arrived.

“Doctor Banner,” he heard FRIDAY’s voice echoing in the living room. “Ms Y/L/N is requesting access to your apartment.”

“Let her in,” he stood up, quickly walking to the kitchen and taking the food from the heating stations he had since he’d moved in, but never used.

He was quick enough to put the food on the plates and silverware and stood up straight when you entered the living room.

You looked beautiful, although quite comfortable. In jeans and a blue blouse that showed just a tiny bit of cleavage.

“I hope I’m not late,” you smiled shyly at him, and he returned it quickly. “There was a bit of traffic out there, you know, New York.”

“Don’t worry,” he smiled. “You’re just on time.”

He walked in your direction a bit hesitant, but relaxed as soon as you met him halfway and put your arms around his neck, kissing him with a large smile.

“Hi,” you said, not even moving your lips away.

He circled your waist gently, enjoying and trying to get used to the affection.

“Hi,” he smiled. “Is it weird to say I missed you? I know I saw you not even five hours ago, but…”

“It’s not like we can kiss in the lab,” you pointed, and he nodded shyly. “But we can kiss here, so that’s good.”

He let out a tiny chuckle.

“So you like kissing,” he arched his eyebrows, and you giggled.

“I really like kissing.”

In response, he kissed you again, holding you close to his body and feeling the nervousness fading away.

“I really like kissing too,” he muttered when you pulled away. “I like kissing you.”

You smiled, and Bruce glanced at his side.

“I was organising the table,” he said, looking a bit nervous once again. “Sit down, we can eat.”

You finally looked at where he was looking, finding the small table all set for you two outside.

“Are you sure? Don’t you want any help?”

Bruce shook his head.

“Just sit down and enjoy,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

When he entered the kitchen, you gave the apartment a short look. Aside from being really big — the living room itself could fit your living room, your kitchen, and probably part of your bedroom — it looked very regular. There were some shelves stocked with books and DVDs, a single painting on the wall, Bruce’s diplomas hanging in order of accomplishment and some science magazines. It wasn’t very decorated, but it looked like it belonged to him. Bruce spent a lot more time either out with the Avengers or in his lab and, as far as you knew, only came home to sleep.

You sat at the table a minute before he was back, pushing a tray with food and wine in your direction.

“It looks good,” you pointed out.

Bruce smiled in response.

“Thank you,” he said proudly. “I cooked it. It’s a spinach mushroom skillet lasagna.”

You arched your eyebrows in surprise. You didn’t know Bruce could cook.

He served you the lasagna and then the wine, finally sitting down in front of you and waiting with an expectant look. You took the first bite, and closed your eyes as soon as the tastes mixed and melted on your tongue.

“This is amazing,” you covered your mouth.

His shoulders dropped in a clear sign that he relaxed, and you two fell into a comfortable silence. You felt okay being in silence with him; you didn’t need to speak to make the environment welcoming, and even just spending the day working in a lab around made you feel welcome and at home.

“Do you want some more?” he questioned when he realised you were finished with your dish.

“No, I’m okay,” you smiled.

Bruce nodded, already finished just as well, and rubbed his hands nervously on his thighs.

“You know,” you decided to try and start a conversation. “This is my first date in a decade.”

He looked at you in surprise.

“Really?”

You nodded.

“My last years of marriage were not so great, and then I was too busy to date, especially with Luke,” you shrugged. “And it’s not like I’ve ever found anyone I trusted or liked enough to go on a date with.”

The man in front of you looked a bit surprised, and you leant over the table a bit.

“What about you? How long has it been since you went on a date?”

“I’m not sure,” he confessed. “But more than a decade. I went on dates with my ex-girlfriend Betty but then we broke up and I never… You know. And then there’s the Avengers and the other guy,” his voice dropped a bit. “I… I still don’t know if this is a great idea.”

“Bruce…” you sighed. “Look, I don’t mind the other guy and you know that.”

“I know,” he rubbed a hand over his face. “I do. I just… I’m trying, okay?” he interrupted himself. “I’m trying. I can’t take things too fast.”

You gave him a small, reassuring smile.

“It’s okay,” you reached out and held his hand, making him look up at his eyes. “I can’t go fast either.”

Bruce chuckled a bit, blushing, and you took a breath.

“I guess you got yourself a sloth girlfriend,” you decided, and the man in front of you looked up at you with wide eyes, making you freeze. “I mean… I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No!” he said quickly. “I’d really like to have you as a girlfriend.”

You let out a breath, relaxing.

“Sorry,” you cleared your throat. “You make me feel a bit nervous, I’ll get myself together.”

Bruce laughed in response, a rubbed a hand over his face.

“You make me nervous too,” he pointed. “We can be nervous together.”

You nodded, closing your eyes for a moment and trying to calm down.

“I’m a mess,” you decided. “We are a mess.”

To that, your  _ boyfriend _ nodded.

“I know.”


	10. Nine

****You rubbed a hand on your face, looking at the calculations and samples in front of you.

“Run them again, F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” you requested.

“Same results, miss,” the AI said back.

You shook your head, gesticulation with your hand

“Try correcting it. I may have gotten the wrong chemicals.”

“We tried every single possible one, miss.”

“Then with different triggers,” you argued. “This can’t be it.”

You glanced at Bruce when you noticed him by the door, acknowledging his presence but still focusing on your quest.

“We tried every single one, miss.”

“But it doesn’t make any sense!” you exclaimed, both annoyed and frustrated.

You didn’t even realise you were arguing with a fucking system.

“What’s wrong?” the doctor questioned.

You pulled your glasses from your face, both inpatient and utterly disappointed with yourself.

“It is a dead end,” you sat back. “I studied every possibility every variable, every trigger…” you pulled your ponytail slightly angry. “It is a stupid dead end.”

He studied your posture for a moment and you felt as his hand squeezed your shoulder.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., let me see it, please.”

You learned to his touch while Bruce read through the resume of your notes.

Dead end.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered. “I thought I could help and now I’ve wasted your time for months just lead us to nothing.”

You couldn’t change Bruce’s triggers.

You were devastated. For the first time in your career, you were sure you were just a few steps away from the greatest discovery of your life. You knew how much it meant to Bruce to be able to control the Hulk more easily and couldn’t help but be heartbroken when you realised your failure.

“I’m so, so sorry,” you repeated. “I thought I could do it but I couldn’t.”

He shook his head.

“You’re gonna be fine,” he assured you. “You did all you could do. There is no reason to apologise.”

Bruce walked to your side, squeezing your shoulder,

“Thank you for doing this,” he affirmed. “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be fine.”

You glanced up with a sigh, feeling panic rippling into your bones.

“Will I lose my job?” you finally questioned.

You couldn’t lose your job, not again.

“What?” he frowned. “No!”

You frowned.

“Well, my research is over and it got no results,” you reminded him. “I have nothing to do here.”

Bruce looked at you like you’ve just said the most absurd thing in the world.

“You are literally someone with two master degrees working for the government and with a speciality in Superheroes,” he reminded you. “The last thing you need to worry about is not finding something to do here.”

You looked away, a bit ashamed, and he moved awkwardly by your side.

“Besides,” he sounded hesitant. “You don’t think I would let you be fired for something that small, do you?”

You gave him a shy smile.

“You can expand the research about the genome,” he walked to your board, amplifying some of your documented cases. “Focus on which gene brings out which power. Do you have any idea of how big this can be? You can get something huge. Nobel prize huge.”

You raised your eyebrows at his mention.

“Wait,” you turned to him. “Are you sure?”

Bruce nodded excitedly.

“Of course I am!” he exclaimed. “It can be…”

“My greatest accomplishment,” you finished his sentence, and ran quickly to him, almost jumping to him and kissing his lips. “Bruce, you are a genius,”

Your boyfriend blushed but gave you a kiss.

“I know,” he chuckled, “But you can say it again, you know?” he muttered. “I like when you compliment me.”

You laughed, kissing his cheeks several times.

“You are a very intelligent man,” you kissed the tip of his nose. “A very handsome fella,” you kissed his chin. “A great boss,” you nibbled on his jaw. “And a very, very good kisser,” you finished, kissing his lips.

He laughed in response, holding you for a moment.

“Is that enough?” you questioned. “Or do you want some more? I got more compliments, but the kisses may get a bit less family friendly.”

Bruce blushed and you let out a short laugh.

“The possibility to my first Nobel prize,” you contemplated. “And I’m just 42. That’s incredible.”

Your boyfriend’s face lit up with a huge smile.

“And you called me a genius.”

You took a breath, holding his hand in yours.

“Thanks, Bruce,” you whispered. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”

In response to you, Bruce just shrugged.

“I just helped you,” he affirmed. “You were talented alone, you only needed a job.”

You kissed his lips once again.

“Still. Thank you.”

He was ready to protest again, but you interrupted him.

“I won’t let you correct me, Bruce. Just say ‘you’re welcome’ and we can move on.”

You boyfriend let out a laugh.

“Okay then,” he kissed the palm of your hand. “You’re welcome.”


	11. Epilogue

You played with Bruce’s hair silently, feeling his thick locks on your fingertips and breathing softly. He was sleeping, probably. You didn’t want to move and risk waking him up.

It was your second anniversary, a time you were spending together in his apartment at the tower, watching your favourite films and series and eating take out. You were staying for the weekend, only going back home on Monday after work. That consisted of three and a half days with Bruce doing whatever you wanted, which included occasional sex and lots of cuddling.

Those two years were filled with discoveries for you two, and sex was one of those. It had taken a while for Bruce to be comfortable enough to do more than just make out a bit; he was always afraid of Hulking out and hurting you, but that never happened. Every the time you’ve ever met the Hulk, he was friendly and kind. Your encounters weren’t many, though, only a handful through your years around Bruce.

Eventually, Pepper and Tony became your friends, and being an acquaintance with the Avengers became normal. Sometimes, Bruce spent the night in your house and even helped with Luke’s homework when you were running around doing stuff; the two had become good friends.

“Bruce?” you questioned in a whisper.

“Huh?”

“Are you awake?”

Your boyfriend took a deep breath, moving his body so he would be facing you.

“Yeah,” he smiled up.

“There is something I wanted to give you,” you bit your lower lip.

Bruce raised his eyebrows for a moment, looking surprised. You weren’t a couple that exchanged many gifts so that was very unexpected.

“And what is it?”

“Let me get my purse,” you shooed him out, crawling to the side of the bed and picking it up before moving back.

You and Bruce had already passed many relationship milestones, and you honestly felt this was the time to do what you were about to do.

“So, we’ve been together for two years now so, I think it is pretty much the time to give you something. So… Open your hand.”

He just watched in silence for a long moment before complying and you bit your lip.

You reached out, taking what was in your hand and dropping it in his hand.

“You can look now.”

He opened his eyes, glancing down at his own palms.

“A key.”

You nodded nervously.

“My key.”

He stared at you with his brows furrowed for a moment before the realization finally came to him.

“Wait,” he stared at you. “That’s… Your house key?”

You nodded quickly.

“You can go there whenever you need and don’t need to knock on the door. Even when I’m not home.”

He chuckled, surprised but apparently happy.

“Why would I be at your house if you weren’t there?”

“To get one of your 15 shirts I’ve stolen?” you tilted your head to the side.

Bruce shook his head, letting out a short giggle.

“Thanks,” he squeezed it in his hand. “That’s… Thank you.”

In a genuine motion, he crawled closer to you and kissed your lips gently.

“I would give you a key to this place but I’ve already changed your credentials so you can drop by whenever you want, anyway.”

You chuckled, moving your hands to his face and cupping his cheeks before giving his lips a peck.

“It’s not like you’re not there all the time,” you reminded him, taking your fingers up and caressing the sides of his scalp. “It’s like… Your own house.”

He laughed, laying more kisses on your lips.

“I love you,” you whispered. “You know that?”

Bruce nodded, sitting on the bed. You knew he was insecure and had a hard time processing such feelings and fears.

“I know,” he covers your hands with his, kissing your palms. “I love you too.”

  
  
  
  



End file.
